Hans Wijers

Hans Wijers "is Chairman of the Board of Management of AkzoNobel, one of the world’s leading industrial companies. Based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, the company makes and supply the widest range of paints, coatings and specialty chemicals. Hans Wijers is a former Minister for Economic Affairs in the Dutch government—a position he held for four years—while prior to joining AkzoNobel in 2002 he was Senior Partner with the Boston Consulting Group and Chairman of BCG’s Dutch office.

"A graduate of the University of Groningen and Assistant Professor of Economics at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam in the Netherlands (where he received his PhD in economics), Wijers has participated in two think-tanks for Dutch Ministers and he was senior consultant/partner with various Dutch consulting firms.

"He also holds a number of prominent positions outside AkzoNobel. Hans Wijers is non-executive director at Royal Dutch Shell. He is also Chairman of the Oranje Fonds and Chairman of the Ubbo Emmius Fund Foundation at the University of Groningen. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Concertgebouw, and he is also a member of the European Roundtable of Industrialists."

• Trustee, Conference Board